Typical telecom systems consume power at a rate unaffected, to any large degree, by the amount of system usage. When components in the telecom system are less than 100% loaded, or are idling, they may consume almost as much power as when fully loaded. Also, when telecom system components are in remote locations, they may rely upon solar and battery power to operate. Further, it may be acceptable at certain times to operate the telecom system with a lower reliability. Thus, there is a desire and need to reduce power consumption in telecom systems in various situations.